You know that book I’ve been working on for 7 years? Lights, Camera, Faith: Beatitudes and Deadly Sins? It’s finished!

Yes, it is finished. The fifth volume in the series Lights, Camera Faith by my co-author Peter Malone, MSH and me. Click here to see the other volumes. And it’s not like Peter didn’t do his work: he was finished long ago. I was the one who got behind and involved in many other projects. And gave in to writer’s block when all it took was a clean desk and the will to do it! So the manuscript is off to the editor. Sure there will be corrections and other steps but the big part is done. I can go to South Africa in peace (for twelve days for a religious education conference.)

The goal of the Lights, Camera, Faith is to bring major motion pictures into dialogue with the scriptures for movie lovers and provide people 18+ (though there is at least one film for 13+ under each beatitude and sin) with an opportunity for “cinema divina”, that is, a an encounter with God through film and the Word.

Can you guess my favorite five films from this list? And my number one favorite film?

What are yours?

In the four previous volumes Peter and I wrote about 300 films – here are fifty more and no repeats! We have also tried to choose a balanced selection of films with male and female protagonists and a representation of cultures, ethnicities, and in some cases, languages.

Here is a list of the films we have included; your homework is to figure out which film fits under which beatitude or deadly sin!

Lights, Camera, Faith: The Beatitudes and Deadly Sins by Rose Pacatte, FSP & Peter Malone, MSH

Publisher:  Pauline Books & Media, Boston

Date: TBA

Alphabetical List of Films

21 Grams

Alfie

Being There

Bonhoeffer

Cavedweller

Cinderella Man

Citizen Kane

Color Purple

Crash

Dangerous Liaisons

Departures

Driving Miss Daisy

Election

Emperor’s Club

Field of Dreams

Gandhi

Hiding Place

Holes

Hotel Rwanda

House of Sand and Fog

Hunger Games, The

In Good Company

Into the Wild

Kingdom of Heaven

Kinsey

Lives of Others, The

Magnolia

Master, The

Milagro Beanfield War, The

Million Dollar Baby

Mostly Martha

Motorcycle Diaries

Mystic River

Of Gods and Men

Painted Veil, The

Rabbit-Proof Fence

School of Rock

Searchers, The

Seven

Sideways

Silver Linings Playbook

Smoke Signals

Some Mother’s Son

Sophie’s Choice

Station Agent

Super Size Me

To End All Wars

Whale Rider